Lavrov, Rubio discuss settlement of war in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone conversation to discuss the settlement of the war in Ukraine.

The phone call was held at Russia’s request, according to the US State Department.

“Secretary Rubio reiterated President Trump’s call for continued direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace,” the US State Department said in a readout.

The Russian foreign ministry, in its readout, said the sides discussed the situation around the “crisis in Ukraine”.

The FMs “exchanged views on various initiatives on a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, including plans for the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on June 2," the Russian TASS news agency reported citing the foreign ministry’s readout.

According to the Russian readout, Rubio "extended his sincere condolences over the death of civilians as a result of undermining railway infrastructure in the Bryansk and Kursk Regions on June 1.”

"The Russian side stressed that competent agencies are conducting a thorough probe and its results will be made public soon. Those responsible will be identified and inevitably punished," it added.

On Saturday evening, a bridge fell in front of a moving train in Russia’s Bryansk Region, killing seven people and injuring 71 others. Several hours later, early on Sunday, a railway bridge collapsed under a moving freight train in Kursk Region, leaving the driver and two of his assistants wounded, according to RT.

The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement on Sunday that the bridges had been “blown up” in both incidents. Earlier on the same day a railway bridge in Kursk region had gone down as a freight train was crossing it. Most of the train remained on the tracks, RT reported.